How can the arts benefit us?

The arts enrich our lives.

They can improve our mental health and wellbeing, helping to reduce anxiety, depression and stress.

They can enable us to identify and express our concerns and generate a sense of purpose.

They can spark our imaginations.

They can support us with major life challenges by making us feel more empowered, engaged and resilient.

In agreement with existing studies, more arts engagement was associated with higher levels of wellbeing, social connectedness, and lower odds of intense social loneliness.
HEartS Survey, 2021

The arts enrich our communities and society.

They can bring us together, so we can share thoughts and feelings, make meaningful connections and imagine new possibilities.

They can help us to understand and empathise with others, building bridges so we can live together better.

They can make our villages, towns and cities more vibrant and interesting places to live.

They can give us a shared identity and sense of belonging.

The arts enrich our economy, locally and nationally.

The cultural sector contributes billions of pounds a year to the UK economy.

It supports local businesses and a wide range of other sectors: from hospitality to retail, transport to tourism.

The arts can cultivate our creativity, driving greater innovation and entrepreneurship.

Without public investment into arts and culture, the remarkable economic success of the UK’s creative industries – the fastest growing sector – would simply not be possible.

Our stories speak for themselves